The 2018 Hungaroring Feature Race, otherwise known as the 2018 Budapest Race 1, is set to be the fifteenth race of the 2018FIAFormula Two Championship, staged at the Hungaroring, Hungary, on the 28 July 2018.[1] The race would be the first in two meetings to feature a standing start, with Mecachrome having updated all twenty engines after issues throughout the season with the clutch.[2]

Contents

Background

The Hungaroring near Budapest, Hungary, would play host to the fifteenth and sixteenth races of the 2018F2 season, with the circuit unchanged, as ever, from the layout established in 2003.[1] As such, Pirelli were expected to bring the same tyres that they had in 2017, with the medium and soft compounds set to be punished around the 4.381 kilometre layout.[3] Indeed, the only real changes came in the form of driver changes and car updates, both of which were enforced by the FIA and F2.[2]

The most universal of these aspects would be an update for the twenty DallaraF2 2018s used throughout the field, with engine suppliers Mecachrome unveiling an update for their engines and clutches.[2] These updates were designed to increase the amount of torque at the clutch bite point, which had caused enough stalls at the start of previous races for the FIA to decided to start all four races at the Red Bull Ring and Silverstone to start behind the safety car.[2] The update would also attempt to cure a throttle system issue which had caused several drivers to suddenly lose power when at full throttle.[2]

With so many changes coming, and not all solutions thoroughly examined, the FIA granted permission for all ten F2 teams to complete 100 km of testing prior to the race at the Hungaroring.[2] To do so Mecachrome would supply ten engines to the organisers of F2, whom would then draw lots to allocated whom got which engine.[2] The teams were then allowed to conduct their tests privately, with a focus on starting procedures, with all data subsequently sent to Mecachrome and the FIA.[2] The series' development car would also be in action testing at Magny Cours and Circuit Paul Ricard with various updates including the Mecachrome engine.[2]

Elsewhere, Santino Ferrucci had managed to get himself banned from F2 for the immediate future after crashing into his teammate Arjun Maini deliberately after the conclusion of the Sprint Race at Silverstone.[4] Indeed, the pair had battled throughout the weekend on circuit, with Ferrucci ultimately losing his temper when Maini kept ahead of him to the line in the second Silverstone race.[4] As such the American racer decided to simply drive into his teammate, before bragging about doing so deliberately on social media.[4]

It therefore came as no surprise that the FIA and F2 summoned Ferrucci to the stewards, a formality which the American racer opted not to attend.[4] Regardless, Ferrucci was immediately banned for four races, with an additional €60,000 fine and a disqualification from the results of the Silverstone Sprint.[4] It got even worse for Ferrucci soon after, with a spat on Twitter earning him the ire of employers Trident, who seemed to be on the verge of sacking the Haas backed racer after insulting his teammate Maini.[5]

Ultimately, Ferrucci would be dropped by Trident, whom duly promoted GP3 Series racer Alessio Lorandi to fill the American's vacated seat for the rest of the 2018 campaign.[6] Lorandi, an Italian born 19 year old, had enjoyed minor success with Trident in GP3, having scored his first podium a few weeks earlier.[7] Ferrucci, meanwhile, would miraculously retain his ties with Haas, and gain a seat in the IndyCar series despite his rather bizarre actions in Silverstone.[6]

In terms of the Championship, George Russell had extended his lead atop the standings in the second race of the Silverstone weekend, the Brit arriving in Hungary with a 37 point lead over Lando Norris. Those two were on their own once again in the fight for the title, with Alexander Albon having lost ground in third, just ahead of Artem Markelov. That quartet were still the only four drivers in the field that had score more than 100 points, while Roy Nissany was still the only driver yet to score.

There had been a major change atop the Teams' Championship after the second Silverstone race, with Carlin finally pushed off the top of the Championship having led since the start of the season. Indeed, ART Grand Prix had been the team to finally topple the Brits, with the French squad leaving the UK level on points with the British effort, but with more wins to their name. Behind, Charouz Racing System had slipped to sixty points off the lead, with DAMS and Russian Time also falling away.

Entry List

The full entry list for the 2018 Hungaroring Feature Race is displayed below:

In the Teams' Championship, meanwhile, it was advantage Carlin once again, the British squad pulling sixteen points clear of second placed ART Grand Prix. Indeed, the poor start to the weekend for the French squad had proved costly, although they were still within striking distance with one race to go before the summer break. Behind, Charouz Racing System had lost ground in third, while Prema had moved ahead of Russian Time to claim fifth.